Foes of closing maternity ward make case to state

Friday

Mar 16, 2012 at 2:00 AMMar 16, 2012 at 12:11 PM

PORT JERVIS — A yellow school bus drove into a church parking lot last Friday afternoon with a group of heartened Port Jervis residents, returning from their hearing with 10 high-level officials of the state Health Department.

Jessica Cohen

PORT JERVIS — A yellow school bus drove into a church parking lot last Friday afternoon with a group of heartened Port Jervis residents, returning from their hearing with 10 high-level officials of the state Health Department.

They had gone to Albany to make their case against Bon Secours Community Hospital's application to close its maternity ward, which requires Health Department approval.

Fourteen people gave presentations, including two ob/gyn physicians, three nurses, the mayor, two councilmen and one former councilman. A dozen others attended for support.

"Richard Cook was very attentive and responsive to questions," said Jack Austin, referring to the Office of Health Systems Management deputy commissioner.

"He listened and knew the facts on both sides," said Jim McMahon, a community activist, who provided background research on population and hospital statistics.

McMahon presented findings that he said undermined the hospital's rationale for closing the maternity ward — declining numbers of births at Bon Secours and declining numbers of women ages 15-44 in the Port Jervis area.

McMahon said that since 2000, the total decline in that age group was 21, and those ages 15-29 had increased slightly.

McMahon also explained the decline in births at Bon Secours. He said the hospital fired a popular obstetrician in 2008, creating a service gap until the doctor was hired by Middletown Community Health Center in 2009. He died in 2010, leaving another service gap that year, McMahon said. Then in 2011, MCHC, the hospital's primary referral source for deliveries, was closed for four months after a fire.

Dr. Fred Nichols, ob/gyn, said he was ostensibly hired to help recruit new obstetricians to Bon Secours, making the position more viable by providing back-up. Because he had his own obstetrical practice 14 miles away, in Hamburg, N.J., he would be insufficiently available to provide obstetrical services in Port Jervis, though he would see gynecology patients.

But he said hospital administrators had done little recruitment, and he interviewed only two candidates — one partially retired and one recent medical school graduate who already had a job.

Fairweather said Medicaid pays for 50 percent of Port Jervis births, and the local preterm birth rate is high, 16.22 percent, compared with 9.06 percent for Orange County overall.

She said that even with a local maternity ward, many women get little or belated prenatal care — 33 percent, compared to 6 percent countywide — and many in Port Jervis lack cars.

Women who gave birth at Bon Secours were enthusiastic about the care and congenial environment in the maternity ward, Fairweather said.

However, she said they worried about Bon Secours administrators' plans to have deliveries done in the emergency room after the maternity ward is closed. She said they are concerned about possible exposure to disease and having other sick or injured ER patients listen to the sounds of labor. They also feared being transported while in labor, and possibly having their babies delivered by an emergency service technician.

Andrea Sheridan. "She only got 10 hours training in deliveries. And (Councilman) Gerald Oney said it's not an easy ride to Middletown. An ambulance 20 minutes away (from Bon Secours) would have 45 more minutes to Middletown."

Oney had been an ambulance volunteer. The Orange Regional Medical Center, the nearest maternity ward to Port Jervis if the Bon Secours ward closes, is outside Middletown in the Town of Wallkill

Austin, a retired Child Protective Services case worker, said Cook took note of evidence presented that the hospital had already closed the maternity ward — remodeling the ward and transferring obstetrical patients to the Town of Wallkill.

"He hinted he might send someone to take a look," Austin said.

However, Austin added, "he was diplomatic, but I wouldn't predict his decision."